Chapter 2

When I was sick, she said I was being dramatic. When she was sick, she wanted the whole world to cater to her.

Last time my mother-in-law caught a cold, she lay in bed groaning for half a day, claiming she was dying, and called her son from work to take her to the hospital. After a check-up, it turned out to be just a common cold.

She was so afraid of dying that she insisted on being hospitalized. It took a lot of convincing from the doctor to get her to agree not to stay in the hospital.

In the past, considering she was my husband's mother, I tolerated her behavior. Even when she nitpicked at me, I endured it without complaint.

But my tolerance didn't make them treat me any better; instead, they became more demanding. To them, my patience was a sign of weakness. Eventually, I developed breast nodules and experienced occasional chest pains.

For a long time, I felt depressed. A visit to the hospital confirmed that I had moderate depression.

Indeed, kindness is often taken advantage of. Men never pity women for their weakness; they only love them if they see some value in them.

The first time my mother-in-law heard me talk back to her, her expression froze for a moment before her brows knitted tightly together. "How dare you speak to me like that?"

"You're not anyone special to me. Why wouldn't I dare?"

I didn't even look at her and continued feeding the child.

Andrew trembled with anger and pointed his finger at me. "You... you are simply unreasonable! Apologize to my mom right now, or we'll get divorced tomorrow."

I laughed in anger. "No need to wait until tomorrow. Write up the divorce papers now. If the civil affairs office weren't closed already, I'd go there today."

My mother-in-law started wailing about how miserable her life was.

I ignored her cries, finished feeding the child, packed some simple luggage, and slammed the door shut as I left with the child. They were left staring at each other in disbelief.

The moment I stepped out of the house, I felt a sudden sense of relief as if a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. The thought of leaving those two overgrown babies filled me with indescribable joy.

"Where are you going?" Andrew shouted from behind.

I didn't answer him. I took the child and checked into a hotel, planning my future in my mind.

I realized how foolish I had been before. Marriage had become an act of self-sacrifice for me, but they never cared about it.

I used to hope my husband would come home early after work to help with the child. But later, I discovered he would come back on time but sit in the car smoking for over half an hour before coming inside. Every time he came home, I could smell the smoke on him.

And every time he returned home, dinner would just be ready. He would wash his hands and sit at the table waiting for me to serve him food.

My mother-in-law would also come back from visiting neighbors and do exactly the same—wash her hands and sit down to eat without lifting a finger.

Mother and son were exactly alike: expecting everything to be handed to them on a silver platter while treating me like a paid servant.

While eating, my mother-in-law would place all the good dishes in front of my husband and leave leftovers and vegetables for me, saying that her son worked hard all day and needed good food to replenish his energy.

Didn't I also work all day?

Yet time after time, I comforted myself and agreed with her actions and words out of self-pity.

Ha! What a loving mother and filial son they are. I won't disturb their affectionate relationship anymore.